Woman shares memories of her cousin who was killed in Carousel Road shooting

Police arrest 26-year-old Christopher Turner for criminal homicide and aggravated assault, among other charges

Chattanooga police officers work the scene of a shooting Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018 in the 1400 block of Carousel Road in Chattanooga, Tenn. One person is deceased following the incident and another is in critical condition.
Chattanooga police officers work the scene of a shooting Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018 in the 1400 block of Carousel Road in Chattanooga, Tenn. One person is deceased following the incident and another is in critical condition.

"She can't get that image out of her head," Breonna Purse said Wednesday.

She was speaking of Jamichael "Tyree" Eddins' mother, who told Purse she was in the house when her son was shot and killed Tuesday evening in the 1400 block of Carousel Road in East Chattanooga.

Eddins, 24, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and had already died by the time police arrived. Randall Davenport, 28, was also injured. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of a single, minor gunshot wound to his side.

Davenport told police Eddins had a firearm but threw it on the ground in an effort to have a fist fight with a man named Christopher Turner, 26.

Turner then pulled out a large firearm, and Davenport tried to stop him but was shot by Turner instead, court documents state. After Davenport was shot, Eddins tried to run but fell down. That's when Davenport said "he watched Mr. Turner stand over Mr. Eddins and fire rounds into Mr. Eddins," according to court documents.

photo Christopher Turner

"[His mom] saw the whole thing," Purse said. Eddins was his mother's only child.

Purse, Eddins' cousin, said she talked to his mother Tuesday night.

"She was crying," she said. "She didn't know what to say. She was like, 'Bre!' I was like, 'I know, I know.' I was trying to be strong for her, but I broke down too many times. That was like my brother."

Purse said Eddins' mother was very protective of him.

"That was her baby," she said. "No matter how old he was, if he'd come down here and we'd get ready to go somewhere late at night, his mama would say, 'Don't be out too late, Tyree.'"

Though they were a few years apart and didn't always see each other, Eddins was Purse's favorite cousin, she said. "Me and him, we were just alike. We had the same personality.

"That was my buddy. We was tight."

Purse said she had so many good memories with her cousin, but one she recounted was from when they were younger.

"He would come in through the house, and he just made up a song," she said. "It's funny, he was like, 'I ain't got no panties on!'"

She couldn't believe the news he'd been killed when she heard it. She still doesn't believe it.

"I was hurt," she said. "I will miss him. He will be missed and I love him."

Turner, the man who shot Eddins, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm while in commission of a dangerous felony.

The reckless endangerment charge is likely the result of the presence of a newborn child, along with two other people being inside a car that was in close proximity to the gunfire. In fact, court documents state that a bullet hit the front bumper of the vehicle.

Turner's bond has been set at $1.25 million and his next court appearance is scheduled to be before General Sessions Judge Clarence Shattuck on Friday.

Before his arrest early Wednesday morning, police had to take Turner to a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. According to his arrest report, Turner told police that Eddins had shot him in his left buttock. Police, however, believe it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He also told police that he buried the gun in a wooded area but did not know where.

Turner has an arrest record in Hamilton County dating back to 2011. Most of his charges are drug- or traffic-related.

Eddins' death marked Chattanooga's fourth homicide and the second just this week.

Cachet Peterson, 21, was shot and killed outside Southside Social early Sunday morning. Tiana Linares, 24, was also injured but is said to be in stable condition.

Chattanooga police spokesman Rob Simmons said Tuesday that having to investigate two homicides so close to each other was difficult. But it's not uncommon for the violent crimes unit to work several cases concurrently, he clarified Wednesday.

"We are prepared for these occurrences and work as a team to ensure that our efforts establishing justice for our victims are not done in haste," he said in an email.

And while there's already been an arrest in Tuesday's homicide, Simmons said there's still work to do.

"Investigators are still gathering evidence, interviews and facts so that they can prepare and present a solid case with the district attorney's office," he said. "Violent Crimes Investigators work for our victim's rights from the day of the incident until a conviction is established in court."

Even after a conviction, he said the department continues to work for victims through the victim services unit "to repair the wounds which may go unseen."

Contact staff writer Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.

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